This invention relates to apparatus supporting optical interconnection, such as those that may be useful in the routing of signals in the communications industry. In communications systems such as telecommunications systems, optical signals currently must be downconverted to an electrical signal before being transmitted over long distances. The transmission rate of these electrical signals is much slower than that of optical signals. This conversion is a barrier to a fast Internet system capable of delivering applications requiring significant bandwidth, such as streaming on-demand video and music. It is therefore desirable to use a system that keeps signals in their optical form without having to convert to a slower, less-efficient electrical system.
One area to be addressed is the electronic switches in fiber-optic backbones. Backbones are expensive communications links between major cities. Optical fibers often carry information to central hubs in these major cities, then creating a bottleneck at each hub while all this information waits to be converted into electrons and switched by bulky electronic switches. This conversion process was sufficient when fiber optics carried only one signal over a limited distance, but electronics now have difficulty keeping up with the newly complex signals.
The industry has turned its attention toward photonic switches. Photonic switches do not require signal downconversion, and are capable of optically directing even complex light streams. Several variations of these photonic switches have been reported. Agilent reportedly uses bubbles to deflect light between crisscrossing glass columns in order to direct light back and forth to the switches. Corning is reportedly investigating liquid crystals to redirect the light streams. Bell Labs is reportedly using tiny micromirrors to direct beams to the appropriate fibers. While these systems are much smaller than the previous switching systems, and may effectively achieve the desired optical switching, they can be very complex. For example, in the Bell Labs device where an array of micromirrors is used to direct beams to the appropriate fiber, each mirror must be accurately calibrated to send a beam to any of the appropriate fibers. The calibration must also take into account any minute variation in position from fiber to fiber, an array of fibers not being aligned in perfect rows and columns.
It is therefore an object of the current invention to create a photonic switching device that is compact in design, relatively simple to setup and operate, and can effectively route multiple complex light streams.
Although described with respect to the field of communications, it will be appreciated that similar advantages of optical routing, as well as other advantages, may obtain in other applications of the present invention. Such advantages may become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure or through practice of the invention.